Valve debuted the Steam Deck, the company’s first foray into the mobile gaming market. The Steam Deck billed as the world’s most powerful handheld gaming device, is designed to synergize with your Steam account, which means you can access the best PC games on the move and without a big desktop or laptop.
Still, being portable necessitates some important and reasonable trade-offs. Valve’s previous dedicated gaming devices, the Steam Machines, were a flop, so there’s a lot to learn for this latest entry.
Here is all we know so far.
What is Steam Deck?
The Steam Deck is a portable gadget created by Valve, Steam’s parent company. The Steam Deck gives gamers access to their Steam account, library, and friends using a handheld device strong enough to run modern titles like Control or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
You can still modify the graphical settings and framerate caps as usual, albeit many higher-end settings will be unavailable due to the restricted horsepower compared to high-end GPUs. The settings you use to play games will also have a significant impact on battery life. Valve, for example, estimates that if Portal 2 is played at 30 frames per second, users will likely receive roughly five hours of continuous play. The screen has a refresh rate of 60hz, which means you won’t be able to see the benefits of games running at 120 FPS on this hardware.
Steam Deck technical specs
Valve has published the full list of Steam Deck technical specifications.
Operating System: SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
Display: 7-inch diagonal, 1200×800 px
Brightness: 400 nits
Refresh rate: 60hz
Processor: AMD APU, Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz
Graphics: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz
Memory: 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
Storage: 64GB eMMC / 256GB SSD / 512GB SSD
Expandable storage: Yes, microSD card slot
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
Wi-Fi: Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz
Headphone jack: 3.5mm stereo headphone / headset jack
Charging input: 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
Battery: 40Whr battery, 2 – 8 hours of gameplay
Size: 298mm x 117mm x 49mm
Weight: Roughly 669 grams
It uses symmetrical thumbsticks, with standard A/B/X/Y buttons, two trackpads, a D-pad, power button, volume buttons, R1/R2/L1/L2 triggers, and four assignable grip buttons on the back of the device.
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How much does Steam Deck cost?
The dock comes in three different variants, each with a different storage choice and a few other additions, resulting in a wide price range to consider. The Steam Deck costs $399 for a 64GB device, $529 for a 256GB model, and $649 for a 512GB one. The only differences are in storage size and speed; otherwise, the internal specs will be the same, so you won’t have to worry about variances in CPU speed, GPU power, or the amount of RAM in the system.
It’s crucial to know that quicker SSD storage cannot be expanded, so keep that in mind when deciding which model to buy. Games played on an internal SSD will load much faster and may perform slightly better than games played on an SD card.
The $529 and $649 variants come with a carrying case and an official Steam Community profile bundle, respectively, with the $649 model including “quality anti-glare etched glass” and an exclusive virtual keyboard theme.
Can Steam Deck play all my games?
The Steam Deck runs the most recent version of SteamOS, a form of Linux operating system that works with Proton software. Proton acts as a compatibility layer, allowing even Windows-based games to operate on Linux. Keeping this in mind, there are still compatibility difficulties, which means that support for every single game cannot be assured. Regardless, Valve guarantees that any games you have running on SteamOS will work fine on the Steam Deck.
Steam Deck uses SteamOS
SteamOS provides users with access to Steam Chat, notifications, and other features that they have come to expect from Steam. Remote Play is also available, allowing you to stream a game from your PC. The store ensures that you don’t have to purchase something else before playing it on your Steam Deck – it’s all one seamless experience. Cloud Saves also imply that if you start playing something on your regular PC, you may continue playing it on your Steam Deck without issue, as long as the game supports Cloud Saves.
This software also allows for the suspension and resumption of various games, ensuring that players never have to wait too long to get back into whatever they’re playing.
It extends beyond these features, though, with Valve saying that you can do anything on a Linux computer with a Steam Deck, including browsing the web. You may even install whatever you want, just like on a regular Linux machine.
Valve tells IGN that the UI in the Steam Deck has been “facelifted,” making it easier to use with a controller for anything from browsing settings to searching for specific games. As Valve develops new features for the Steam Deck in the future, they will be able to be used to improve the standard dock experience.
Valve also reveals that players won’t have to worry about gaming drivers. Instead, software updates simply are released as needed.
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Can I pair my Steam Deck with my favorite accessories?
You can use any device with your Deck as long as it has Bluetooth connectivity. This means you can pair your favorite Bluetooth headset or use controllers like DualSense. Anything that requires a wired connection, on the other hand, may not be compatible due to the restricted ports provided on it. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, can be used with a USB-C hub.
What is the Steam Deck dock?
In addition, Valve is developing a first-party dock for the Steam Deck. Similar to how the Nintendo Switch may be played handheld or docked, this dock allows users to plug the device in and connect it to a TV or monitor. It allows you to choose how you want to play your games, so you don’t have to connect a large desktop to your TV to relax and enjoy your Steam collection from the comfort of your couch.
Here is the technical specs for the Steam Deck dock:
Peripherals: 1 x USB-A 3.1 Port, 2 x USB-A 2.0 Ports
Ethernet: Yes
External display: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0
Power input: USB-C
Size: 117mm x 29mm x 50.5mm
Weight: Roughly 120 grams
Valve has yet to commit to pricing or even a release date for the Steam Deck dock, so there’s no certainty it’ll be available at the same time as the gadget. However, Valve notes that most third-party docks that meet suitable standards should operate.
When is the Steam Deck release date?
The Steam Deck has no set release date as of yet, although Valve says orders will “start shipping” in February 2022. Orders were supposed to begin shipping in December 2021, however owing to material constraints, it was delayed two months. Preorders will be available beginning July 16 at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET. It will first be offered in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, with other areas to follow perhaps next year.
Many people with successful reservations are being told that their orders would ship in Q1 or Q2 2022, especially those who choose the higher-end models, so keep that in mind.
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How to reserve a Steam Deck?
Once everything is open, you’ll need to log in to Steam to reserve a Steam Deck. You must also have your payment information ready because there is a reservation fee. You have 30 days after making a successful reservation to cancel it. Making a reservation puts you in line to purchase a Steam Deck in its entirety.
Reservations will be limited to Steam accounts that have made a purchase before June 2021 for the first 48 hours of reservations being available in your region. It is likewise has a reservation restriction of one per account.
Would you like to read more about Steam Deck-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
